"Better access to AOS, coordination of treatment, a registry of adverse events and the possibility of a fast-track compensation pathway are - in my opinion - priorities for patients if we are talking about improving the healthcare system," said Patient Ombudsman Bartłomiej Chmielowiec at the Health Summit 2021 conference.
As he explained, the abolition of service limits in outpatient specialised care is necessary. At the same time, in order for the changes to be truly felt, the number of staff providing health care services must be monitored. Equally important is the coordination of treatment and the guidance of the patient through the system. "The patient receives a quicker diagnosis, which allows effective treatment to be implemented more quickly. This is an invaluable benefit from the patient's point of view and also saves the health system money. "If consultations take place at short notice, there is also no need to repeat the diagnosis due to, for example, outdated test results. In this way, patients would not fall out of the system, they would not drop out of diagnostics or treatment just because they are unable to obtain a service. Undoubtedly, such a measure would also contribute to reducing the number of patients with advanced conditions, the Ombudsman added.
Bartłomiej Chmielowiec stressed that patients' voices should be listened to when developing reforms and implementing changes. "It is the patients who use the health care system who see its problems best, so their experiences are very valuable in the process of planning changes". - he said during the debate.
The patient should create the system
In February 2020, a Council of Patients' Organisations was established at the Patients' Ombudsman, which now includes almost 100 NGOs. They represent the voice of the patient community, including patients with various conditions including oncology, civilisation diseases, autoimmune diseases, neurology and psychiatry, seniors and people with disabilities and dependents. Organisations bringing together patients with rare diseases and transplant patients also collaborate within the ROP. "The Office of the Patient Ombudsman actively cooperates with those organisations that report to us the problems that patients face in the healthcare system. We analyse them, often also preparing systemic speeches," explained Bartłomiej Chmielowiec. The Ombudsman has long called for the Council of Patients' Organisations to be regulated by law, which would give it the legitimacy to represent the voice of patients.
An important issue raised by the Ombudsman during the congress was the introduction of a register of patient organisations. A proposal for such a change is foreseen in the draft law on clinical trials, which has gone to public consultation. "The register will allow the monitoring of active patient organisations, which will also be involved in the work of Bioethics Committees. We often get asked for a list of organisations that are active in a particular area of medicine. There is therefore a change of mentality in terms of state-citizen cooperation, but formal tools for such cooperation need to be designed," -indicated the Ombudsman.
Source: www.gov.pl/web/rpp